Weak Link- Voltron Legendary Defender
by Stargazer8246
Summary: During an update in the Castle's defenses, something goes wrong and the team blacks out, only to wake up to the non understandable. Lance wakes up in an asylum, Shiro seems to be brainwashed, Allura is human, Coran and Hunk are stuck on a busted ship, Pidge has forgotten everything she ever knew about tech, and Keith is forced to face his greatest fear.
1. Chapter 1- Blackout

**_See end of chapter for notes..._**

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 **Chapter** **1- Blackout**

Lance leaned over and hit the alarm on his nightstand, before flopping back down onto his pillow.

Monday. The dreaded first day of the week. Unlike back on earth, the days didn't really bare as much significance in space. There were no classes to go to, no last minute homework to finish up, no eager anticipation for the weekend. But, Monday was Monday. Lance didn't need to have a reason to hate it… but, whether he needed one or not, even millions of light years away from Earth, he still had one.

"All right, everyone! Let's move! Up and at 'em! Get dressed and head to the bridge A.S.A.P!" Shiro's voice rang through the intercoms, rousing Lance from his dozing state. He moaned, ripping the sleeping mask from his face. Yup, on Earth or not, he still hated Mondays.

Lance was, as usual, the last person to reach the bridge. Keith was leaning against a far wall, arms folded, Hunk was rubbing a grumbling stomach, and Pidge was fiddling with something on a screen in front of her. It was all a familiar sight. Shiro was talking to Coran and Allura, but stopped when he spotted Lance.

"Oh, good, you're up! All right, listen up everyone! During the past week, we've managed to put a serious dent in Zarkon's defenses. We've liberated several planets, and are in the process of freeing more. With that in mind," he looked around at the paladins. "We want to be prepared. And that means being at the top of our game." Lance groaned. He knew what was coming. "Let's head to the training deck!"

"But… we haven't… without breakfast?!" Hunk looked at Shiro, horrified.

"Yeah, can't we, I dunno, grab a bit to eat?" Lance folded his arms, pouting. He realized his posture mimicked that of Keith's and he quickly shoved his hands in his pockets. Shiro glanced over at Pidge, who was gazing at him with puppy eyes. He caved.

"All right, go get some breakfast." There was a loud whoop from Lance and Pidge, and Hunk ran out of the room at an alarming speed. Once the door had shut behind the four teenagers, Shiro shook his head, the smile he had fought to hide now spreading across his face. Kids…

Lance was officially stuffed. Hunk had whipped up a wonderful breakfast, complete with omelets, toast, hash browns, sausage, and some kind of Altean juice. Everyone had practically licked their plates clean, including Keith, and they were all sitting sleepily in their chairs. Lance stretched, standing up.

"Well, I guess we better head to the training deck. Shiro'll be waiting for us, if he hasn't started training already." Pidge bounced up from her spot, and Hunk went around the table, whisking the plates away.

"I'll be there in a little bit. Just need to finish these dishes."

"Oh, I'll give you a hand with that, Hunk." The paladins turned to see the tall, red-headed figure of Coran walk through the door.

"Number Five, Allura wanted to know if you could help her with that new program you were planning on uploading for the castle's defenses. I'm not entirely sure how to do it, and she could use a hand." Pidge nodded, grinning.

"Sure, no problem. Hey, Keith, I'll need you. The base I used for the programming was derived from Galra tech, and I'll need your DNA to activate it." Keith rose from his chair and followed her out the door. Lance headed down to the training room, stopping by his quarters to grab his armor along the way.

As he had suspected, Shiro had started training already. The training robot, known as the Gladiator, was swinging his blade around quickly, while the Black Paladin darted back and forth, avoiding the blows. Shiro's prosthetic hand glowed a bright purple, and he dashed towards the Gladiator, striking left and right, hitting his mark each time. The robot went flying across the room before disappearing with a flash of blue light, and Shiro wiped a gloved hand across his brow. Lance donned his helmet, walking over to the team leader, who grinned when he saw him.

"Lance. Good! Are the others coming?"

"Yeah, in a bit. Hunk and Coran are finishing up in the kitchen, and Pidge and Keith are helping Allura set up some new castle defenses." He shrugged. "So, it looks like you're stuck with just me." Shiro grinned.

"Looks like I am. One on one?" Lance grinned.

"You're on!"

Back on the bridge, Allura, Pidge and Keith were making progress on the defenses. Or at least, Allura and Pidge were. Keith simply stood on the sidelines, waiting for instructions. Pidge slid out from under a control panel, giving the Red Paladin a thumbs up.

"Okay, so we're ready to go! Keith, just put your hand on that panel over there. Once you've activated it, I can re-route the power to a non-Galra source, and purge the system of any Galra tech. That way, Allura can have full control over it, and there'll be no interference." Keith placed his right hand on the panel Pidge indicated, and a blue light appeared, scanning it. There was a small ding and a screen popped up in front of him.

"Uh… Pidge…"

"It's all set! I just have to compensate for the power surge…" The screen in front of Keith began to blink red.

"Pidge… is it supposed to be doing that?"

"Just a sec… I'm almost done…" The screen continued to flash, several alarms going off.

"Pidge!"

"I'm done!" She appeared from beneath the control panel, and looked at Keith, who was staring at the still blinking screen.

"It's not stopping! Allura, what's going on?" Allura pulled up a small screen and hit several buttons, her eyes darting back and forth.

"I don't know! I—"Several more screens appeared, blinking red, alarms going off left and right.

"Pidge! What could be causing this?!" Allura cried, panic written in every line on her face. "I thought you said it would be safe to upload those defenses into the system!"

"It is safe! I don't think this is the program I uploaded! It can't be! I hadn't even begun downloading it into the mainframe when the first notification went off!"

"Well, whatever it is, you better fix it!" Keith shouted, as yet another alarm went off. "And you better do it fast!"

Lance did an elaborate back flip, narrowly escaping a blow Shiro aimed at his legs. He landed on three points, a grin on his face.

"You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna—" He was cut off as a sudden blaring sound erupted through the intercom, and Lance looked around in confusion. "What the cheese?" Shiro frowned. He activated his comlink.

"Princess! What's going on? Are we under attack?" There was a gargled noise, and Allura's voice came through his earpiece.

"No, it's the castle. We were in the process of preparing new defenses, when something went wrong! We're assessing the situation now, but we can't seem to pinpoint the problem!"

"I'm on my way over!" Shiro headed towards the door, followed by Lance, when suddenly the two were thrown off their feet.

"What's going on?!" Lance cried, struggling to stand upright as the floor shook violently beneath him.

"I don't know! Lance! Look out!" Lance spun around in time to see a wave of blinding white light come rushing towards him. Shiro lunged forward, knocking him backwards, and let out an agonizing cry as the light struck him right in the chest.

"Shiro!" Lance made to help him, but was sent crashing into a wall by some unseen force. His head spun, and his vision blurred. The last thing he saw was the silhouette of a tall figure standing before Shiro, a long blade raised above the head of the Black Paladin.

"Pidge! Hurry!" Keith clutched at a chair as the floor beneath him shook, threatening to send him soaring through the air.

"I'm trying! Nothing's working! I even tried restarting it and shutting the whole thing downd! The system is frozen!" Pidge banged the control panel in frustration. "I don't understand how this could happen!"

"We need Coran!" Allura cried. "He knows the systems better than anyone! We need to—Ah!" There was a flash of light as two arcs of electricity shot forward from the control panel, shocking Allura. She let out a scream, falling to the ground, sparks still flying from her body.

"Allura!" Keith dashed over to her side and grabbed her arm, instantly regretting it as a jolt went through his body. He yelped, pulling his hand back, pain shooting up his arm.

"Keith! I've got it! I couldn't detect it before cause I kept looking for the wrong thing! It's not a virus, it's—" Pidge went sailing across the room, crashing into a chair. She lay there, motionless, and Keith's eyes widened.

He turned to where the young girl had been standing moments ago, and stared in disbelief at the sight before him.

"You!" A long, thin hand stretched out, a large glowing orb forming in front of it. Keith tried dodging it, but he was too late. A burning pain shot through his torso and throughout his body, making him scream in agony. He gasped for air, but his body refused to work. He fell to the ground and lay there, writhing in pain. He looked up and watched as a pair of feet moved towards him, slowly, quietly, shoes clicking lightly against the floor. Then, with a painful, shuddering breath, Keith blacked out.

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Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading my story! 😊 I'm hoping to upload at least a chapter a weak, but please DO NOT EXPECT REGULAR UPDATES! I'll do my best, but there are no promises! Meanwhile thank you, and if you have time to leave a review, I'd really appreciate feedback! Thanks! 😄


	2. Chapter 2- Lost

**See end of chapter for notes**

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 **Chapter 2- Lost**

Hunk groaned, slowly opening his eyes to look around at the disaster that was the kitchen. Food goo lined the walls, and broken plates and cups lay scattered across the floor. It looked like he would be washing more than just the dishes from breakfast.  
"Augh… quiznak!" Coran made his way out from behind the counter, rubbing a large bump on his forehead. "What in the name of King Grogery the Infirm just happened?"  
"I don't know…" Hunk muttered, getting laboriously up. "But whatever it was, I don't want it to happen again. I'm getting really tired of food attacking me." His eyebrows jumped, and he slumped back into his shoulders. "I-i-is the castle going all apples and bananas again? Who's controlling it now? Is there another ghost?!" Coran shook his head, trying to turn on the lights, which refused to respond.  
"There's no ghost. But I'm not sure what's wrong with the castle… I better head down to the bridge, see what's happening." The red-head pried the kitchen door open with much grunting and what sounded like Altean swear words. He wriggled his way through the small opening he had made, Hunk trying desperately to follow. It took Coran about a minute to get him unstuck, and about another minute to open the door wide enough for Hunk to get through. Finally, they headed for the bridge. As the elevators weren't responding either, they used a small staircase Hunk had never noticed before. Probably because the elevator was right across from it, and why do all that walking if you don't have to?  
They reached the bridge and pried the door open, stepping into a… brightly lit room? Unlike the other rooms and corridors in the castle, which were very dark, the bridge shone with a bright purple glow. Coran was no expert on magic, (that was Allura's field of expertise) but even he could sense the strong force flowing around them. Hunk could feel something too.  
"Hey, uh, Coran, are you getting that weird feeling in the pit of your stomach?"  
"It's some kind of magic…" Hunk looked around the room warily, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.  
"Really? Cause back on earth, we call this feeling fear. And right now I'm feeling a lot of it, so how about we find the others, and, I dunno, grab some weapons and a couple of granola bars, and then come back here, okay?" Coran's eyes widened.  
"But wait! Where are the other Paladins? And the princess! Keith and Pidge were supposed to be here with her." He looked around the large room, but there was no sign of any life. "Princess? Number Five? Is anybody here?" No response.  
"Maybe they didn't like this room either and went to find Shiro and Lance." Hunk suggested. Coran seemed to be ignoring him. The Altean walked over to the control panel at the front of the bridge, inspecting the large scorch marks covering its surface. He pressed a few buttons, but nothing happened. Looking under the panel, he noticed a large jumble of wires, half of which were melted and useless.  
"Something must have gone wrong while they were uploading the new defenses. The whole system is fried." Hunk slowly made his way over, looking over his shoulder several times along the way.  
"Oh wow," he said upon seeing the panel. "It really is! Can we fix it?" Coran stroked his mustache, one hand on his hip.  
"I'm not sure. This problem with the ship was caused by some form of dark magic. Even if we did repair the panel and got the system up and running again, there's no guarantee that will fix everything. Whatever caused the system failure and this strange purple glow could still be here. And even my brilliant mind is no match against dark magic." Hunk flung up his hands.  
"Than what do we do?! We're dead in the water, or actually, space, with some creepy enemy lurking nearby, Zarkon could stop by at any moment and blast us to oblivion, and we have no idea where the others are! How about, we do like I suggested, and go look for them before we do anything else? Please!" Coran nodded, and he walked briskly out of the room, a nervous Hunk close behind him.

The castle was large, there was no doubt about that, but there were only so many places for the rest of the team to be. Hunk and Coran searched the ship from almost top to bottom, but they came up empty handed. The training deck, the bedrooms, the pool, the lounge, the ballroom, even the bathrooms! But there seemed to be no sign of anyone on board the ship but them.  
"Maybe they thook their lionths and wenth thoo geth helthp?" Hunk suggested, his mouth partially full with a pastry he had recovered from the kitchen. As he had explained to Coran, he was stress eating, as most humans do when they are worried, panicking or … well, stressed. Coran stroked his mustache again.  
"Well, the lions' hangers are the one place we haven't checked yet. Let's head down to them and see if the lions are still there."

And they were. But there was no sign of any of their paladins or the princess to be found.  
"I don't understand!" Hunk cried, utterly at loss as to what to do. "We've looked everywhere! There aren't any missing pods, so they didn't leave in those either…And it's not like they could have been taken captive, could they, cause, I mean, whoever captured them would have taken us too! I'm a Paladin of Voltron just as much as the others, and you're Altean! I thought Zarkon wanted to destroy all of your people. If he does, than why would the others be taken, but not us?"  
"I don't know." Coran said, scratching his head in confusion. "It's possible that Zarkon isn't responsible for this at all… but I don't see who else it could be…"  
"Well, if they aren't here, and Zarkon didn't capture them, and they didn't take their lions or a pod…" Hunk flung his hands up in despair. "Then where are they?!"

Allura had felt pain before, both caused by weapons and magic. But the blow she had received was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She felt as though her entire body was breaking down, literally. Molecule after molecule. The pain was acute, and seemed to continue long after she had lost consciousness. Now, as she opened her eyes, all she wanted to do was lay there and cry, it hurt so bad. But crying wouldn't fix anything. It wouldn't help her figure out what caused the ship to go haywire. And lying on the ground certainly wouldn't help anything either. Slowly, painfully, she struggled to sit upright, her breathing labored. Her head was throbbing, and her vision was blurry, but she could just make out the small, curled up form of Katie Holt. Allura licked her lips.  
"Pidge," she rasped out, but the limp form didn't respond. With wobbling legs, the princess stood and made her way shakily across the room to kneel by the Green Paladin. She reached out a hand and shook the bespectacled girl, who moaned and clutched her head.  
"Ow…" Allura clasped Pidge's hand.  
"Pidge! Pidge, speak to me! Are you all right?" The brunette groaned, looking up at Allura, and her eyes widened in shock. She pulled her hand free of Allura's grasp, a horrified look on her pale face.  
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Allura blinked.  
"Pidge, it's me. Allura. Do you not recognize me?" Pidge scowled.  
"But... no, you can't be Allura, you look nothing like her." Allura paused, her heart skipping a beat.  
"What?"  
"I said you look nothing like her."  
"What do you mean I don't-" She stopped, her eyes catching sight of her reflection in the glass of the castle's window. Then she screamed.

Whiteness. That's all Lance could see. And it wasn't the sort of radiance you see after you pass on to the next life either. It was the sterile whiteness you see in a hospital or clinic. But it wasn't even that. The walls around Lance were padded and soft, like a giant quilt. The L.E.D light on the ceiling above him bounced off the brilliant surfaces, hurting his eyes. He wanted to move. He wanted to stand up and walk around. But he couldn't. Because, though his legs were free, he was hard pressed to rise from his position on the floor due to the very tight straightjacket wrapped around his torso. Without his arms to help support him, he tumbled over each time he tried to stand, his head spinning. He shook himself. He had been trying, for some time (he didn't know exactly how long) to figure out what had happened and what was going on. The last thing he remembered was being sent flying into the training room wall, and seeing a figure standing over Shiro. Shiro. Lance looked around again, but there was no sign of the Black Paladin. What had happened? The ship had gone crazy, and they were going up to the bridge to help Allura and the others. But something had stopped them… what? That bright light… Lance closed his eyes, the memories flashing through his mind. Shiro had saved him from… something… whatever that light was… he remembered Shiro crying out, falling to the ground in pain… and that figure… the knife… Lance opened his eyes, frustrated. What was happening? Why was he here? And why was he wearing this? He struggled to move his arms, becoming more and more claustrophobic by the minute. He hated being confined. The healing pods, small, tiny rooms, like the one he was in: he couldn't stand being in them. And it was even worse when his already limited movement was limited still more. He kicked a nearby wall in frustration. What was happening!?  
"Augh! Shiro! Keith! Hunk! Someone! Anybody? Get me out of here!" He writhed along the floor, trying to get upright, but he kept losing his balance, his vision blurry.  
"Lance. Hey, take it easy." The Blue Paladin looked up, a tall figure coming into focus. He wore a long, white lab coat, neat black pants, and a slightly wrinkled white shirt. A pair of black rimmed glasses sat atop a thin, long nose… which had a long scar running horizontally across it. Lance's gasped, cool, grey eyes boring into his own ocean blue ones, and his mind raised as he recognized the person before him.  
"Shiro? What's going on? Where are we? What happened?!" Shiro reached out a hand, trying to calm Lance.  
"It's okay, Lance, it was just a dream. You're going to be okay." Lance opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short when he caught sight of a long needle. He gulped, trying to back away from it.  
"Shiro… what—" Shiro moved the shot in Lance's direction, and the Blue Paladin flipped. "No! Shiro, stop! What are you doing?!"  
"Lance, it's okay! You need your medication, it's only going to take a second." This information did not calm Lance in the least. Second or not, Lance did not like needles any more than small spaces.  
"What?! No! Nonononono! No shots!" Shiro gently grabbed hold of Lance's shoulder, trying to steady him.  
"Lance please! I need to give this to you; it'll help." Lance gulped, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. He needed answers, and he needed them now.  
"Okay, I'll let you give me the shot, but ONLY if you answer a couple of questions first!" Shiro paused, considering, then pulled the needle away.  
"All right, but after that, I'm giving this to you." Lance nodded, swallowing.  
"First, where am I?"  
"A psychiatric ward." Lance blinked.  
"What?"  
"You're in the New York Psychiatric Hospital, room #37. Lance, you've been here for the past six months."

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Hi everyone! I FINALLY got around to posting this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! Reviews are much appreciated and I'm going to try to upload Chapter 3 by the end of next week. :D Until then, bye! ;)


	3. Chapter 3- Forgetfulness

**_See end of chapter for notes_**

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 ** _Chapter 3: Forgetfulness_**

Keith had heard girls scream before, out of joy, excitement and fear, but the cry that woke him had the tone of utter terror in it. He sat bolt upright, his right side aching in protest. He looked around for the source of the sound, his eyes landing on a tall, elegant figure that was running at a rapid, but unsteady pace out the door. He didn't recognize the person, and looked to a now standing Pidge for an explanation.  
"Intruder!" she cried, and Keith dashed after the fleeing form, the brunette close behind.

Keith's legs weren't that long, but he could run at a decent pace, and soon, he had caught up with the fugitive. He tackled her, pinning her to the ground, one fist raised, ready to strike.  
"Keith! Stop!" The Red Paladin paused. The face was different, but he knew the voice quite well.  
"Allura?" The young women sighed, obviously relieved.  
"Yes! It's me!" She shifted uncomfortably. "Now, would you mind getting off?" Keith blinked, taken aback, and quickly rose, freeing her, as Pidge came to a stop beside him, panting. He didn't understand what was happening. But whether he understood it or not didn't change the facts. The figure in front of him was no Altean. She was human.

Lance blinked, his mind racing. None of this was real. It couldn't be. He knew that he hadn't been in an asylum for the past six months; there was no way! Six months ago, he had been at the Galaxy Garrison, training to become the best pilot the university had ever seen. Not long after, he had been piloting the Blue Lion, and fighting alongside his teammates to defeat Zarkon. He remembered it all. Heck, he even remembered what he had eaten for lunch last Friday(Hunk's brown bean casserole was hard to forget). He certainly hadn't been spending all that time locked up in this room.

"Lance?" Lance glanced up at Shiro, who was looking at him with kind eyes, one hand on the Cuban's shoulder. His voice was calm and fatherly like always, but the man before him couldn't be Shiro. He was dressed in the clothes of a doctor, not a Paladin of Voltron, and there was something in his appearance that seemed... different... a difference that wasn't in his attire. Also, he was acting like everything that was happening was completely normal, which it obviously wasn't. Above all, and this is what threw Lance off the most, he was holding a long, ugly looking needle, with the intention of sticking it in Lance. That was a big no-no.

When he was younger, Lance had been a very well behaved child. But when his mother had taken him to the doctor's, the poor man didn't get within a foot of Lance before the young boy had bulldozed past him and run out the door, knocking the gentleman over in the process. Lance had and always would hate needles. Now was no exception.  
"Shiro, please put that thing away! I can't stand shots!"Shiro capped the needle, putting it in his coat pocket, and he sat down, weaving his fingers together. Lance started, only just then realizing what it was about Shiro that had changed since he had last seen the older paladin.. The hands protruding from beneath the long sleeved lab coat... were both made of flesh and blood. Shiro's prosthetic hand was gone, and in its place was a normal human one that appeared to be in working order.  
"Shiro! Your hand!" Lance cried, all thoughts about needles vanishing. "Wha- Your hand! What happened to it?"Shiro looked down at both his hands, a look of confusion on his face.  
"Nothing's happened to either of them. They're fine."  
"That's what I mean! What happened to your prosthetic?"  
"My what? I don't have one."  
"I can see that! Where'd it go?!" Shiro rolled his eyes.  
"I've never had one before. Listen, Lance, I know you're going through a lot right now, what with everything that's happened in the past week or so. But I need you to stay with me. I want to help you, but I can't if you won't let me. Do you understand?" Lance shook his head.  
"No, Shiro, you're the one who don't understand: we're not supposed to be here! This isn't real! We're Paladins of Voltron; you're no doctor and I'm no nutcase! Now let me out of here already!" Shiro sighed, shaking his head.  
"I was worried this was going to happen. Your condition is worsening." He took out the shot again and uncapped it, gently grabbing hold of the side of Lance's head. Lance squirmed under his grip, but he was basically pinned to the floor. He gasped as an ice cold pain traveled through the side of his neck, and he squeezed his eyes shut. That was no ordinary shot. He winced as Shiro withdrew the needle, and his vision grew blurry.  
"Ow... that... hurts... what is that?" he muttered, trying to focus on Shiro's face.  
"Don't worry, Lance, just try to rest. The pain doesn't last that long, it's just your system trying to adjust to the new medication. This is a stronger dose than usual." Lance shook his head, trying to stay awake.  
"No... Shiro... "But the Black Paladin had already faded from sight.

The girl in front of Keith sounded and acted like Princess Allura of Altea but she certainly didn't look like her. Her wavy, shoulder length hair was a honey brown, her eyes a dark chocolate hue. Her skin tone was the same, but the pink Altean markings on her cheek bones where gone, and her elegantly pointed ears had been replaced by normal human ones. She seemed to be slightly shorter than Keith remembered as well. Being the observant young man he was,he took all these details in mere seconds, waiting for an explanation. But she said nothing, simply looking at her hands with wide eyes, as though she had never seen them in her life.  
"Allura?" She looked up at Keith, swallowing.  
"What... what happened?" she asked, her voice shaking.  
"I was going to ask you."The princess shook her head, her eyes darting left and right, as if searching for something.  
"I... I have no idea. The last thing I remember is being blasted by something... painful. I blacked out and woke up like... like this..." She brought her hands to her ears, feeling them, slowly, a frown crossing her face. "What could have caused this? Why do I look so different?"  
"Did you use your Altean skills to change your appearance?"Pidge suggested. Allura shook her head.  
"No, I cannot change it this much. My markings would still be visible, and my eye color would not have changed. This makes no sense."  
"What happened back there Pidge?" Keith turned to the small girl, who shrugged.  
"I haven't got a clue."Keith frowned, cocking his head.  
"But, before you got sent flying by..."he paused. Why couldn't he remember what it was? Vague images of a purple orb and a familiar face flickered through his mind, but he couldn't place any of it.  
"By what?" Pidge prompted.  
"I... I don't remember... I saw what... who attacked you and I, but... I can't remember now..."  
"I don't think it was a person Keith, it may have been some kind of electric shock from the control panel."  
"Well, as I had started to say." Keith stated, folding his arms in frustration."Before you got... attacked, you said you had figured out what was going wrong with the castle. So, what was it?"Pidge opened her mouth to speak, but paused, her face going blank.  
"I... I can't remember..." Allura's gaze darted back and forth between the two paladins, a look of worry crossing her face.  
"This is strange...how come none of us can remember what happened?"  
"I don't know." said Keith, shaking his head. "But we need to figure out what happened... let's find Shiro and the others and see if we can come up with some kind of explanation."

"They're not in the castle."After over two hours of thorough searching, the three teammates had reached this painful conclusion. There was no sign of any other person aboard the ship, and all lions and pods were present and accounted for. Shiro, Lance, Hunk, and Coran seemed to have simply vanished without a trace.  
"This is getting infuriating."Pidge cried, flopping down into her chair."What is going on?!" Allura brushed her hair out of her face, a hand on one hip.  
"I have no idea. They can't have just disappeared!"Keith sat down in his chair, grimacing. His side was really starting to hurt. He'd have to take a look at it later.  
"Maybe Zarkon took them," he suggested. Pidge and Allura glared at him and he shrugged."What? It's a possibility."  
"A very unlikely one," Pidge stated. "If the others were taken by Zarkon, why weren't we? We were knocked out and everything, easy pickings. And yet we're still here. It makes no sense."  
"Agreed," said Allura, who was looking at the totaled control panel. "But, whatever happened to them, the castle is our first priority. If Shiro and the others are somewhere else in need of our aid, we won't be able to do anything to assist them if we don't get this ship up and running. I'll need the two of you to help me with the repairs. Pidge, could you please start working on this control panel? I'm going to check and see how badly the teledove and sub-light engines were damaged. Keith, I need you to see if you can get the lights and central power up and running. Head down to Level 4 and find the main power grid. Once you reach it, tell me, and I'll walk you through the process." She tossed him a small com-link, which he hooked onto his ear.  
"All right. Once I'm done with that, let me know if you need help with that panel, 'kay Pidge?" Keith turned to go out the door, but stopped. He looked back at the small figure in front of the panel. Pidge was staring at it with a pale face, her expression one of confusion.  
"Pidge?"The girl gulped.  
"I don't know where to start." Keith raised his eyebrows.  
"What?"Pidge was the brains of the bunch, no one had to be told that. Her saying what she said was a cause for concern, if nothing else.  
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure it out," Allura said, trying to be encouraging.  
"No, you don't understand. I have no idea what I'm looking at here."  
"Pidge," said Keith, a weird feeling forming in the pit of his stomach."You've messed around with that panel dozens of times before."  
"I know! But..." she looked up at him, obviously panicking. "Keith, I have no idea what to do. I don't know how anything here works, what's wrong with it, nothing!" Keith stared, the strange feeling in his stomach worsening.  
"Meaning?"  
"Meaning I can't fix it. Unless Allura knows how to fix everything wrong with the ship... we're stuck."

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Hi everyone! As you can see, Chapter 3 is finally done! I want to thank my friends Sarah and Naomi for helping me edit this and the previous chapters. :) Hope you're enjoying the story! As always, reviews are appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4- Progress

**See end of chapter for notes**

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 **Chapter 4: Progress**

"How's it going on the control panel, Coran?"  
"Very slow." Hunk made his way over to the Altean, wiping his hands on a rag.  
"The main power grid is all fixed. The lights should be working now, but for some reason, nothing's turning on... I may need to rewire a few things..."  
"I'm not having that much luck with this panel. I've tried fixing as many things as I can, but the space inside is so tiny! I'm going to continue to repair what I can, and than I'll have to find some kind of tool to reach all the way inside." Hunk nodded, walking towards the bridge door.  
"I'm going to go get something to drink. You should take a short break, we've been working on this for over five hours straight."

Coran stood up from his position on the floor and stretched, cracking his knuckles.  
"Very well than, but we shouldn't wait around for too long. We're sitting ducks!"  
"Don't worry! I'll be back in a-" The lights suddenly came to life, illuminating the bridge. The glowing purple aura, however, remained.  
"Looks like you did fix the power grid, Hunk." The Yellow Paladin shook his head, looking around wearily.  
"Um... but, the lights should have turned on a while ago if I had gotten them working... why did they only just turn on?"  
"I'm not sure... but it doesn't matter. They're on!"

"Light's are on, Allura."  
"Good work, Keith." Keith shut the control box in front of him, letting out a sigh. He didn't want to see another wire again for a very long time. None of the wires were color coded, and it took every ounce of patience he had to find and replace the many grey conduits. More than once, he felt like taking his bayard and just slicing the whole box in two. But if he did that, the chances of finding and helping Shiro and the others diminished.

He, Allura and Pidge all had a part to play. This was his at the moment. He would have much rather been out kicking Galra butt, and doing something with more action, but that wasn't an option. He stood, brushing his hands off on his black jeans. Now that the lights and main power was back on, all that was left to do was fix the control panel on the bridge so they Allura could fly the ship. Pidge, who was currently trying to fix it, would no doubt need some help, and Keith decided to lend a hand.

He turned to head out the door, and gasped, falling to his knees, one hand clutching his right side. It had been hurting since he had woken up on the bridge, but it had been a dull pain, one he could ignore. This however, was a different sensation; and a much more painful one at that. He winced, and raised his shirt to examine the cause, and gaped in horror as he caught sight of his side. A large cut, running up eight inches from his lower abdomen. Except it wasn't a cut: more of a dark line, and the area around it had turned a light purple. Keith swallowed hard.  
"What on earth..." he carefully touched the mark, teeth clenched. It wasn't bleeding... but good grief, it hurt!  
"Keith, are you still there? I need you to head up to the bridge. Pidge needs a hand." He'd have to take care of this later. He pulled his shirt back down, adjusted his jacket, and made his way slowly down the hall and up the stairs, his side aching all the way.

"Doctor!"Shiro stiffened, and turned, a small frown forming on his face.  
"Professor Honerva, can I help you?" A petite woman in a dark shirt, black slacks and white lab coat approached him, a clip board in hand.  
"I ran those tests like you asked me to. It appears the condition of your patient has worsened exponentially over the past couple weeks." She stared at him, her violet eyes boring into his grey ones. "I don't think he has a lot of time left." Shiro raised one eyebrow.  
"I'll be the judge of that, thank you very much. The report?" She handed him the clip board, and he turned to leave.  
"Oh, doctor!"He stopped.  
"Yes?"  
"How did he do with the new medicine?"  
"Fine."  
"Glad to hear it."Shiro turned and watched as the woman smiled, and walked casually down the hall, her lab coat swaying behind her.

 _"Lance. Lance wake up! You're going to be late!" Lance started, sitting up in bed. He blinked, looking around blearily. He caught sight of a calendar on the far wall of the room, and his eyes snapped open completely. Suddenly very awake, he tore aside the bed-sheets, and leapt out of bed. In less than a fifteen minutes, he had showered, dressed and eaten a hasty breakfast._  
 _He was tidying up his room and making some final adjustments to the contents of his duffel bag, when there was a knock at the door. He turned, a smile spreading across his face._  
 _"Yes, Mama?"The petite women brushed a strand of hair out of her face, her blue eyes shining, her lips pursed._  
 _"You almost ready? You have about half an hour before the bus comes by." She folded a t-shirt on his bed and placed it in the duffel back. "Just make sure you don't forget anything, because I'm not shipping the things you leave behind." She turned to walk out of the room, and Lance caught hold of her hand, stopping her._  
 _"Mama, what's wrong? Are you upset at me?"She didn't answer, but simply turned and looked at him. She was a small woman, shorter than Lance, and she had to tilt her head back to look him in the eyes. As she did, a small tear rolled down her cheek, and Lance brushed it away with a thumb, wrapping his long arms around her. She buried her face in his jacket, sobbing._  
 _"I'll be back." he said, gently stroking her hair. "And I'll make sure to call you on the weekends." She nodded, still clinging to her son._  
 _"I know... but... I'll miss you." He smiled, tears forming in his own eyes._  
 _"I'll miss you too, Mama."_  
 _"Just don't go flying off into space without telling me, okay?" He nodded, managing a week laugh."And when you do, make sure to keep your promise." He blinked._  
 _"What?" His mother laughed, looking up at him, wiping away her tears._  
 _"When you were a little boy, you told me you wanted to be an astronaut. I told you that you could be whatever you wanted if you put your mind to it. So, from than on, you were set on journeying through the cosmos. One day, you came up to me and said 'Mama, when I grow up, I'm going to fly a ship into space, and I'm going to bring you back a star.'" She smiled, putting a hand on Lance's cheek, as he smiled at the memory._  
 _"That's right, I remember now... and you made me promise."_  
 _"I did."_  
 _"Then," Lance looked her in the eye, smiling. "I promise, I'll bring you back a star."_

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Phew! That took longer to do than I wanted it to! XD It's going to be a while before I upload the next chapter though. :( I have a ton of school to catch up on... :( But, until than, thanks for reading what I've got so far! Have a great week!


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